Rachio Vs. Blossom : Which Is Better?

You need smart sprinklers to keep your garden green as well as to conserve water. There are a lot of smart sprinkler systems in the market. Two smart sprinkler systems which we have chosen to compare are- Rachio smart sprinkler and Blossom smart sprinkler controller.

Given below are the main differences between both the products along with their similarities. We have written down all the details only after testing the products for over a week. Our post would definitely help you choose the most suitable one between them for your home.

Our Verdict

Rachio Vs. Blossom: Comparison Chart

Differences

1. Outdoor Use

It is a plus point when a smart water sprinkler can be easily used outside. In the case of these two products, we see that Rachio is more suitable to be used outside than Blossom.

Rachio can be easily installed outside your home. The Gen 2 and Gen 3 models also support outdoor enclosures that you can buy separately. Its temperature range is -4 degrees F to 140 degrees F which makes it resistant to very cold weather conditions. Hence, it is a great product for outside use.

Blossom, on the other hand, does offer outside use facilities but has some drawbacks in this feature. With an IP 54 rating, it is protected from water spray but it won’t be able to stand itself in the extremely harsh conditions. Therefore, Rachio has an upper hand in terms of its outside usage.

2. Manual Control

Manual control feature lets you change the settings of your smart sprinkler from its model itself. It is an additional advantage for you in case if your device app runs slow or the Wi-Fi connection is down. Rachio does have this facility in its Gen 1 and Gen 2 models. Unfortunately, Blossom does not have the manual control facility which is the reason why it is considered inferior to Rachio. Costumers have reviewed that sometimes its app is too buggy and it becomes very difficult to operate it. In such situations, the lack of manual control disappoints them.

3. Number Of Zone Controls

Both Rachio and Blossom provides a zone control facility which enables the smart sprinkler to define specific areas with their specific watering requirements. However, the numbers of zones they offer are different in these two models.

Rachio offers 2 options for zone controls. First are 8 and second, are 16 zones. It does not let you extend the numbers as per your choice but it offers you enough options to select from whether you have a small size garden or a huge size garden.

Blossom offers 2 options as well. The first is 7 and the second, 12. In the case of Blossom, you can extend the 7 zones to 8 by using the connector for Pump Start Relay.

We cannot decide which product between the two offers a better facility in this feature but it is good to know that you get it in both these devices.

4. Warranty

It is very important to check the warranty period of the product that you are buying. The warranty period for Rachio is 2 years while Blossom offers only a 1-year warranty.

Here, Rachio again comes out to be a superior product than Blossom. The warranty period that Rachio offers is far better than Blossom.

5. Multiple Controllers And Accounts

Sometimes the ground is too big to be managed by one smart sprinkler system. In this situation, people prefer to buy multiple smart sprinklers. You can buy more than one Rachio Controller and connect all of them to a single app. Although you will need to change the settings of all the systems separately you can easily do it from one account and one place.

Unfortunately, Blossom does not offer you this luxury. In case if you are buying more than one Blossom Controller, you will have to make separate accounts for each one. For managing all your smart sprinklers, you will have to log in again and again with different account information which is a very troublesome task to do.

These factors put Blossom below Rachio. We do not recommend you to buy Blossom because of this major reason.

6. Sensors

You buy the smart water sprinklers to ensure that your garden is completely taken care of. The sensors provide additional information to your system through which it functions more efficiently. The Rachio has a soil sensor, rain sensor, and flow sensor that makes it a superior product. Blossom does not support any kind of branded or off-brand sensors. It is designed to work on its own and turns out to be a very inefficient system as compared to other smart sprinklers.

7. Flow Meter

Flowmeter facility tells you accurately about the amount of water that your smart sprinkler consumes. It also stops any leakage in their tracts which leads to water damage. The Rachio Gen 3 model offers you the flow meter facility. Blossom again has no such facility.

8. Smart Home Integration

The Rachio smart sprinkler is very flexible and compatible with almost all smart home systems like Wink, SmartHub, Nest and most importantly IFTTT. The IFTTT lets your smart sprinkler to connect with any possible smart device that allows it to be. It becomes convenient when you include your smart sprinkler system to your smart hub making it a part of your smart home.

Blossom does not support any of the smart home controllers which are not very difficult to digest seeing its other defects that have been mentioned above.

The compatibility feature is one where Rachio is a clear winner between both the devices.

Similarities

1. Voice Control

Both the devices are compatible with the common voice control systems like- Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. You can easily operate these smart devices through your voice command that is a big advantage.

2. Weather Intelligence

Both the devices get their information from an advance weather tracking system. With the help of real-time weather tracking, they can easily adjust the watering schedule as per the need of your ground. It saves water as well as your energy too.

Features And Technical Specifications Of Rachio

• It supports a dual-band Wi-Fi ( 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz)
• It supports 14-22 gauge wires hence easy to install
• Its dimensions are 9.1” * 5.5” * 1.4”
• It weighs 1.05lbs
• It is easily compatible with both iOS 10.3+ and Android 4.4+
• The mobile app would need Wi-Fi to function
• Its power supply is through an external transformer
• It is compatible with the master valve/ pump relay
• It can easily integrate with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit
• It offers a 2 years warranty
• It is available in white color
• Suitable operating temperature is -13 degrees F to 140 degrees F

Features And Technical Specifications Of Blossom

• It works on the Wi-Fi connection
• Its dimensions are 6.93” * 6.93” * 1.55”
• It weighs 2.7 lbs
• It is compatible with both iOS and Android
• It uses the Xona technology
• It is more suitable for indoor use only
• It offers 7 and 12 zone controls
• Its power input is 120 V
• Its station input is 24 V
• It has its Blossom app for both iOS and Android
• It has the facility of irrigation valve sensing
• It offers a 1-year warranty
• It is available in grey color
• Suitable temperatures are 0 degrees F to 130 degrees F

Additional Accessories You Get Along with Each Product

Several accessories are available for Rachio. Unfortunately, there are no additional accessories offered by Blossom. Some of the accessories that can be added with Rachio smart sprinkler are-

• Weatherproof Outdoor Enclosure (to protect your smart sprinkler from outside)
• Wireless rain and freeze sensors ( for rainy season or extremely cold weather season)
• Wireless Flow Meter

FAQ’s

Final Talk

After reading about both the products in detail, we hope that you have a clear idea of what suits you the best. If you want a great sprinkler with all the necessary features and ease of use no doubt Rachio should be your choice. If you are really interested in Rachio, do check out which one you should buy, gen 1 and gen 2.